By: beverly j. irby & Rafael lara alecio  (Page 8/12)

1. Teacher efficacy: general and ESL (Teachers in Karabenick’s and Clemens Noda’s study had favorable attitudes toward ELLs. They found most teachers believed it was possible to be equally proficient in two languages, they expressed ambivalence with respect to the effect of L1 usage in the home on the speed and efficiency with which ELL learners acquired a second language (L2).) Teachers who have advanced professional development and understand the nature of language development and acquisition tend to be positive toward ELLs and their language development.

2. Approaches to teaching: mastery versus performance (Teachers reported that they gave students work that was creative and imaginative and that they wanted the students to enjoy learning. They focused on mastery learning.) School districts that structure programs according to mastery, structure programs, in general, and use data to make decisions tend to yield better achievement results.

3. Second language learning (Teachers believed it was possible to be proficient in two languages, but they were concerned about the interference of the native language with acquisition of the second language. Professional development was needed in order to clarify this misperception for teachers.) Most teachers who are working within bilingual education (transitional, developmental or dual language) as opposed to ESL only tend to express their beliefs that children can learn in two languages and can develop both languages.

4. Relationship between language and academic skills (The researchers found a trend that teachers with more positive attitudes toward ELLs perceived that students’ usage of their native language (L1) did not interfere with their acquisition of English or their academic performance. Over half of the teachers in the study indicated they believe English fluency might be related to higher order thinking. Results point to teachers’ apparent lack of knowledge and, hence, understanding of the relationship between L1 and L2 in the mastery of academic content. This affirms teachers’ responses on items of the survey related to second language acquisition, further documenting that many district teachers may be unable to distinguish between oral communication proficiencies and cognitive academic-language capabilities.) Teachers in bilingual education tend to express the belief that the knowledge of two languages assists in the development of capacity for learning.

5. Bilingual bicultural education (Teachers in the study were skeptical about the conclusiveness of research on bilingual education. Most teachers (74%) disagreed that bilingual education means instruction primarily in students’ native language, with little instruction in English. There is little doubt that teachers in the study were certain about the advantages of bilingualism.) Teachers who teach in bilingual education only tend to use much Spanish in teaching, but they tend to believe they equate the languages (Kujawa, Cavazos, Meyer, Rodríguez, Lara-Alecio, Galloway,&Irby, 2002)